My first attempt at a sculpture and a diorama. Made with Sculpey, and other mixed media.

Very pleased with how it came out in the end, I learnt a lot during making this and will definitely be taking another sculpture project on soon.

The base used to be a cheeseboard, the rocks are from our garden, grass is actually from a reptile shop. The umbrella is made from canvas with a wire frame, supported by sculpey.

Totoro was made using a polystyrene core, wrapped in foil and sculpted around, which meant I could use a lot less clay for the main body while still being firm.

The most time consuming aspect was definitely the fur, which i used a craft knife to carve individual lines all over and then go over again for a more fine texture. They were then smoothed out a little with metholated spirits.

There is still a little touch up needed and the figures need sealing with a matt sealant. I'll add an engraved plaque on the base too, but as it is here it's pretty much finished.

Originally I intended to do this for a christmas present for my girlfriend but I don't think I can just leave it for that long! I need to make a nice box for it first though.